The present invention relates to an injection-moulding machine arrangement comprising at least one injection moulding machine with at least one machine control system for computer-assisted process monitoring and control of the injection moulding machine as well as a method for the operation of such an injection-moulding machine arrangement.
Injection moulding machines which are driven and controlled by machine control systems, preferably by stored program control (SPC) are known from the prior art. Moreover, the setting and scanning of process data via data networks hard-wired to the injection moulding machine or via the Internet (EP 0 917 034 A1) with additionally connected external data-processing equipment is also known. Although these solutions allow the control and monitoring of injection moulding machines from remote locations, they are bound to the fixed installation of additional data networks, which means, on the one hand, considerable installation costs and, on the other hand, offers only limited flexibility for change, for example, in the machine structure.
The object of the invention is therefore to provide an injection-moulding machine arrangement and a method for the operation of this injection-moulding machine arrangement which overcomes the above-named disadvantages.
According to the invention, this object is achieved in that the injection-moulding machine arrangement provides at least one mains supply transmission unit for data transmission via at least one mains electricity supply.
This data transmission according to the invention to and from an injection-moulding machine arrangement via a mains supply (e.g. the 230 volt electricity supply) allows data from the injection-moulding machine arrangement to be scanned from any position and/or allows data control commands to be transmitted to the injection-moulding machine arrangement using appropriate external mobile and/or stationary data-processing equipment such as a personal computer (PC) or a laptop connected to a mains supply. In general, the versions according to the invention provide a very flexible basis for servicing, controlling and driving injection moulding machines from almost any location desired, provided an appropriate mains supply connection is available at these locations. In this context, it is particularly favourable if the data transmission takes place in real-time and in a bi-directional manner or only in a bi-directional manner. An internal machine control system, such as e.g. a stored program control with associated actuators and sensors can be used as the machine control system.
The standard alternating-current mains supply immediately suggests itself as an initial variant for data transmission according to the invention. Accordingly, one favourable variant envisages a low voltage mains electricity supply with a supply voltage less than 1000 volts and a frequency between 50 Hz (Hertz) and 60 Hz, preferably a 230 volts alternating-current supply with an alternating-current frequency of 50 Hz.
Alternatively, however, all other mains suppliesxe2x80x94preferably alternating-current mains supplies, such as a power-current supply or a three-phase supply can be used according to the invention with corresponding transmission devices. Accordingly, it is particularly favourable in the case of injection moulding machines to use the three-phase or power-current connections available according to the prior art. However, the use of normal 230 volt alternating-current mains supplies offers the advantage that these mains supplies are available and accessible at almost any external position desired, and therefore that the transmission of data to and from injection-moulding machine arrangements according to the invention is possible from almost any required location.
Moreover, particularly favourable variants envisage that the mains supply transmission device provides at least one adapter for connection to the mains electricity supply coupled to the machine control system of the injection-moulding machine arrangement, preferably via the LAN (local area network). In this context, it is always possible to connect the data transmission via a mains supply to any other form of data network by means of an appropriate adapter. For example, a connection to the Internet or to mobile communications networks can be realised using appropriate adapters and/or converters.
One particularly favourable arrangement of the adapter of the mains supply transmission unit in the injection-moulding machine arrangement with a main incoming line and a main switch is provided by arranging the adapter in the main incoming line preferably between the main switch and the electrical components of the injection moulding machine.
For the operation of such an injection-moulding machine arrangement, one favourable method envisages that the preferably internal machine control system of the injection moulding machine transmits and receives dataxe2x80x94preferably in a bi-directional manner and/or in real-timexe2x80x94via the mains supply transmission unit and the mains electricity supply.
This method provides numerous possibilities for data transmission to and from and/or for scanning and setting injection moulding machines. For example, it is envisaged that the preferably internal machine control system of the injection moulding machine exchanges dataxe2x80x94preferably in a bi-directional manner and/or in real-time with at least one external, partially mobile and/or stationary data processing unit and/or with at least one printer and/or with at least one mobile communications transmission unit and/or with at least one other data networkxe2x80x94preferably the Internet and/or a LAN network.
Moreover, it is favourable if the preferably internal machine control system of the injection moulding machine transmits information on the production processxe2x80x94preferably error messagesxe2x80x94via the mains supply transmission unit preferably in the form of an SMS and/or e-mailxe2x80x94automatically and preferably in a bi-directional manner and/or in real-time. Other variants envisage that process data from the preferably internal machine control system of the injection moulding machine can be scanned by at least one external, partially mobile and/or stationary data processing unit via the mains electricity supplyxe2x80x94preferably in a bi-directional manner and/or in real-time. This variant allows, for example, current process data to be scanned from an injection-moulding machine arrangement and allows the data to be analysed in an external data-processing device, preferably providing a larger computing capacity, and/or to be used for process modelling. In this context, appropriate control commands arising from the analysis and/or the process modelling can be transmitted back to the injection-moulding machine arrangement via the mains supply. Accordingly, favourable variants envisage that the preferably internal machine control system of the injection moulding machine is set via the mains electricity supply from at least one external, mobile and/or stationary data-processing devicexe2x80x94preferably in real-time and/or in a bi-directional manner.
In order to provide regular up-dating of the software installed on the machine control system of at least one injection moulding machine, it is particularly favourable if the softwarexe2x80x94preferably at least one control programxe2x80x94is exchanged via the mains electricity supply between the preferably internal machine control system of the injection moulding machine and at least one external data-processing device, whereby a version check of the programs present on the systems communicating with one another is preferably implemented.
By way of data protection, favourable variants envisage moreover that the injection-moulding machine arrangement implements an authorisation check preferably automatically and preferably in a bi-directional manner and/or in real-timexe2x80x94before data and/or control commands are exchanged with at least onexe2x80x94preferably mobilexe2x80x94external data-processing device via the mains electricity supply and/or before data from the injection-moulding machine arrangement are scanned.
Moreover, one version variation envisages that the injection-moulding machine arrangement is serviced via thexe2x80x94preferably bi-directional and/or real-time-capablexe2x80x94mains supply transmission device. In consequence, very flexible and regular servicing of the injection-moulding machine arrangement can be ensured. On the other hand a considerable reduction in costs incurred for servicing work is achieved, because many servicing stages can be implemented online, thereby rendering the use of on-site servicing personnel unnecessary in many cases.